999 drama

'CLIMATE CHANGE IS RACIST'

Travel misery for thousands at London City Airport as ‘Black Lives Matter…

“At London City Airport a small elite is able to fly, in 2016 alone 3,176 migrants have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean #Shutdown.

“By 2050 there will be 200 million climate refugees. Black people are the first to die, not the first to fly, in this racist climate crisis.”

But despite retweeting several of the above messages, Black Lives Matter founding member Natalie Jeffers, from Brighton, was unable to make it to the demo as she was flying to South America.

Jeffers caught a fuel-guzzling long-haul flight to Brazil to speak at a feminist conference in the luxurious Costa do Sauipe beach resort.

London City Airport runway shut by Black Lives Matter protesters

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Nine Black Lives Matter protesters chained themselves to a tripod and blocked the runway for six hours

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The group said it was targeting the airport because black people are disproportionately affected by climate change

The Association for Women's Rights in Development reserved every room at the all-inclusive for its 13th international forum.

On its website, the resort describes itself as “a heavenly place with year-round sunshine… and calm, warm waters surrounded by natural beauty”.

The sandy beaches, poolside cocktail bars and spa seem a world away from the poverty in which many Brazilians live.

In addition to her work with Black Lives Matter, Jeffers also runs an organisation called Matters of the Earth – which is funded to the tune of £50,000 by the British taxpayer.

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Jeffers missed the airport protest because she had to jet off to a conference in Brazil

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The event was held at the luxurious Costa do Sauipe beach resort

According to the Times, a source close to international development secretary Priti Patel said the minister was furious about the spending and would be demanding to know why the funding was granted.

A spokesman for the Department for International Development, which paid the five-figure grant, said: “In 2015, one of our subcontractors commissioned Matters of the Earth to produce small-scale and specific pieces of work.

“The money was not used for wider agendas.”

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